For those of you who weren’t around when I blogged about my PvP experiences in the Beta testing of Wrath, allow me to recap my initial feelings of Wintergrasp.

I need to address Wintergrasp.

Upon first hearing of the area I fantasized about toons drop podding from escort flyers, Keeps ablaze and all sorts of PvP goodness.

Again, Blizzard took my expectations and shattered them. Badly

The zone has no sense of realism. Instead of feeling like you are attacking a mighty keep, you feel like you’re knocking down or simply removing lego walls from a four year old’s plaything. There is no sense of organic PvP to be had, nor tactics other then a massive zergfest. Everything rings with whimsy and, honestly, can’t be taken really seriously. The idea was solid, but the execution was sloppy. Truely Blizz can learn from their newfound rivals over at EA Mythic.

Well it certainly seems Blizzard has finally learned from its mistakes in some ways, as I am proud to report that, while a BG in the strictest sense (WTB server specific IoC) is truely a paradise for PvPers looking for depth with their mayhem. The whole zone is ripe with gritty detail and realism and tactics have to be considered if victory is to be yours. The nodes are far removed from their AB and AV cousins; they are not simple “grab flag and WOO more numbers on scoreboard” affairs. While there are a few (and honestly those feel like cop outs) the majority of the landmarks to be captured serve specific abilities that actually enhance gameplay and deepen the sense of realism.

In the first part of this article I’ll be highlighting on of these nodes; The Hanger.

The Hanger Bay tends to be the primary target of choice for the Horde, while the Alliance tend to focus on the Docks (more on the Docks later). As a member of the Horde I followed suit and traversed the winding paths through the mountains, killing those Alliance I saw in the area who aimed to take our goal as well. Once we arrived the flag was a hot-zone of activity, as both forces battled for the prize. After beating of the initial surge and detaining those who would interrupt our flag grabber (the change to our CoI is barely noticable folks. No worries.), it was only a small time before we held the zone. Too short in my humble opinion. I’d like to see the flag-capture time increased, as resources like these are worth fight long and hard for.

Once the area fell firmly into our hands, several portals generated that led to the ships we could now access. I foolishly expected something along the line of Goblin Zepplins as our transports. Maybe if I looked up far into the heavens the sight I witnessed upon taking the portal wouldn’t have knocked me on my ass.

Now those are gunships.

There is no hijacking these, as these gunships fly way above the battlefield. Only way the Alliance can access their ship is to capture the node themselves, and I’d love to see something implimented before 3.2 goes live that utilizes the catapult technology to create exciting ship-to-ship fights. Perhaps implement that the Catapults do not spawn until both factions have had a chance to board their ships, to prevent campers and keep the fights exciting.

The Gunships fly on “tracks”, meaning they have a set flight path. These flight paths cover the Hanger itself(allowing for ranged defense of the node) to the enemies Fortress. At any time during this trip you can man cannons and unleash hell on the terrain below; perhaps focusing on the enemies still inside the fortress or the walls to assist in the seige going on below.

Guns are not the only tools we have available to us while having access to the Hangar. No no. We also have ourselves, as everyone aboard the ship has a parachute equiped for death-defying jumps into enemy territory. Attacking a fortress this way can be a risky proposition, especially if you are lacking the ground assault, as no doubt there will be defenders waiting with hungry weapons below. I’m pleased to say there is no bugginess to be found in the parachute system; meaning you won’t need to concern yourself with the WG bug of it not triggering.

Once inside the fortress the choice is yours; assist the ground forces by grabbing the enemy supplies of Saronite Charges to damage the exterior walls, or run rampant over the defenders.

All in all, the BG is shaping up nicely. It truely feels like an evolution in Battlegrounds; far removed from the flavorless BG’s of yesterday, and does not suffer from the problems that have plagued Wintergrasp since introduction. At a later date I’ll cover all the other nodes, in an attempt to prepare those of you who aren’t taking part in the PTR.

More to come